D4: Sophomore Year
by BadgerInMySoup
Summary: The "D" series continues with the next story of the saga. The Ducks have survived their first year at Eden Hall Academy, but with triangles, break-ups, and tons of teenage angst, can they survive their second one?
1. Chapter 1

AN- Guys, it's back! Entitled D4: Sophomore Year, this follows the Ducks through their second year at Eden Hall.

I'm posting today, but I probably won't be able to update again until the weekend. I have a couple finals this week and I need to study my butt of so I can do well. Curse Pre-Calculus! Curse it to the grave!

* * *

Charlie Conway bounced on the balls of his feet, his eager blue eyes searching the crowded airport for her familiar face. He almost chuckled as he realized how similar this situation was to last year, when he stood here with Connie, waiting for her to arrive. Now, he was alone. Connie was out with Adam, her "wonderfully amazing boyfriend who's just so amazing" leaving him to pick up Julie on his own.

Not that he minded in any way, shape, or form.

His ears perked up as he heard the familiar laugh and he stood, grinning like an idiot as she came into view. The grin lost some of its luster as he saw her companion. Tall and muscular Dean Portman was walking with her, laughing as well, an arm slung around her shoulder. Charlie knew it was just a friendly gesture but it still irked him.

Julie seemed to feel his gaze on her for she stopped talking abruptly and was suddenly looking straight at him. His grin widened involuntarily as she stepped away from Dean and charged towards him, dodging the many people in her way. He caught her in his arms a moment later and they kissed softly.

"Hey." she finally whispered, pulling away from him.

"Hey." he whispered right back.

He tightened his hold on her, resting his forehead against hers. Three months had been far to long of a time not to see her. Especially since he'd been able to see her almost every day for a year. A throat cleared loudly and Julie, smiling, stepped away from Charlie, who turned to his other teammate, hand out-stretched.

"Portman."

"Conway."

The boys grinned at each other as they shook hands but there was some tension in the air. All three noticed it, which was probably why Julie tugged on Charlie's hand, leading him towards the baggage claim and keeping a few feet in between him and Dean.

"How was your summer?"

"Boring. Connie hung out with Adam. Guy hung out with Linda. I got stuck with Fulton and Tammy, who's still pining after him. Ow." He rubbed his arm where Julie had hit him. "What was that for?"

"Be nice. Tammy really likes Fulton, it's hard for her that he can't seem to feel the same way."

Charlie merely grunted as he grabbed his girlfriend's bags and they waited for Dean to grab his. Charlie lead the way out of the airport to a small car. A woman was leaning against it and Julie smiled brightly and moved forward to embrace her.

"Welcome back, Julie."

"Thanks, Mrs. Conway. It's nice to be back."

Charlie's mother now hugged Dean, who looked rather embarrassed at the show of affection. Then, they climbed in the car and drove off.

* * *

Julie was arranging her things in the small dorm room she'd be sharing with Connie when the door opened and her roommate bounded in with an excited smile.

"Julie!"

"Connie!"

They hugged and chattered loudly for a few seconds before realizing neither of them could understand the other. With a small giggle, they each sat down on their beds.

"So, how was your summer?" Julie asked.

Connie grinned. "Pretty good. Spent most of it with Adam."

"So, that's going well I take it?"

Blushing, Connie nodded. "I got to know Linda, too."

Linda Tompkins was a fellow student at their school, Eden Hall Academy. She was a year ahead of them and best friends with Tammy Duncan, who had once been a Duck herself. She was also dating Guy Germaine, who happened to be Connie's ex-boyfriend/first love.

"Does she seem nice?"

"Yeah. She adores Guy, but what's not to adore. I like her. All the Ducks do. I hung out with Tammy too."

"I heard she's still in love with Fulton."

"She won't get over him, the poor thing. I'd hoped last year, what with Dean." Connie trailed off.

Julie knew what she was getting at. Last year, Dean had arrived to their new school a few months late. His original reason for not going(Bombay ditching them on a new coach) seemed unimportant to him as he waltzed through the Ducks' locker room during their final game against the evil Varsity players and brought on a miracle. He had met and flirted with Tammy, and Connie had hoped this would finally get her friend off the crush she'd had on the same boy for years. Unfortunately, no dice. All that resulted was a pretty tight friendship with Dean.

"Well, maybe she'll find someone new this year."

Connie nodded. "Hopefully."

There was a knock on the door and both girls turned, Connie's smile widening. Adam Banks stepped into the room, his brown eyes twinkling.

"Welcome back, Jules."

Julie hugged him tightly. She'd always felt close with Adam, what with him being Charlie's best friend, Connie's current boyfriend and her best friend.

"How was your summer, Banksie?"

He glanced over at Connie with a small grin. "Pretty amazing. Yours?"

"Boring. Unlike you, I didn't get to spend every waking moment with my significant other. Speaking of which." Julie trailed off with a smile as she waved to the duo and turned to leave the room.

Adam waited until she was gone before taking Connie into his arms. "Hello, daring."

She giggled and kissed him softly. "This year is going to be awesome."

"I sure hope so."

They kissed again.

* * *

Dean was laying on his bed when he heard a knock on his door. He sat up and smiled as Tammy walked in.

"Hey, Duncan." he stood up and hugged her.

"Welcome home, Portman. How was your summer." she asked, sitting down on the empty bed across from his.

"It was pretty good. I missed it here though. Missed you."

She grinned. "What's not to miss? My summer was awesome, thanks for asking. Spent it hanging out with Fulton."

"Yeah, is that going anywhere or what?"

"Unfortunately, no. We're just friends and he is determined to keep it that way. Not that he knows I want to be more." she pouted for a moment. "I just want him to wake up, you know?"

"Who wake up?"

They turned to see Fulton standing in the doorway, holding a box filled with CDs. He glanced over at Dean and smirked.

"Hey roomie. Who will wake up?" he asked, yet again, placing the box at his feet.

Tammy stood up quickly, blushing. "No one. We were talking about someone you don't know. I was telling Dean about our summer and now I'm leaving. Bye."

"Whoa, don't hit and run." Fulton grabbed her arm before she could leave. "Stick around, don't let me chase you out."

"Do you need help getting your stuff up here?" Dean asked.

Fulton shook his head, releasing Tammy. "I got it under control."

He left the room to get more stuff while Tammy sat back down on what was now Fulton's bed. "I just made an idiot out of myself."

"Yes you did. Good thing he didn't notice."

She glared at him. "I hate you."

He grinned. "No, you don't."

With a sigh, she smiled reluctantly. "No, I don't."

* * *

Julie peered into Charlie's dorm room, happy to see him distracted while hanging up his hockey memorabilia. She crept up behind him and placed her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" she whispered into his ear.

"Uh, my extremely gorgeous girlfriend by the name of Julie Gaffney?"

She giggled and turned him around, kissing him. "I'm flattered."

"As you should be." he said, winking.

She smiled. "So, who's your roommate this year?"

"No idea. It's not Banskie, he's rooming with Luis."

Suddenly, there was a giggle from the doorway and they both looked as Guy walked in, holding Linda's hand. They both stopped seeing the other couple, and smiled.

"I think that answers that question." Charlie muttered.

"What question?" Guy asked.

"You're my roommate this year. Hey, Linda."

Linda smiled and waved at Julie. "Hey guys. Welcome back, Jules."

"Thanks." Julie smiled. "Hey Guy."

He grinned and hugged her. "Hey, Jules."

"So, how does it feel being sophomores?" Linda asked as she stepped over various boxes and took a seat on what would be Guy's bed. Julie followed her lead, sinking down onto Charlie's mattress.

"It feels good. Like, anything can happen." Julie said.

Charlie grinned. "I feel good considering I'm starting the year with an amazing girlfriend."

Julie blushed and Charlie offered his hand to her, pulling her to her feet. "No Varsity jerks, no constant fighting. This is gonna be our year, Jules. I promise."

They kissed softly. Guy sat down next to Linda and rolled his eyes towards his friends. "Sorry about them. They love being all nauseatingly cute."

Linda giggled and kissed him. "So? There's nothing wrong with it. This year is going to be good for us, too."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

* * *

Tammy and Dean walked down the street, heading to Mickey's where the Duck's pre-school year party would be held.

"So, which couples are going to be disgustingly happy?" he asked.

"All of them. Despite the fact that Connie and Adam and Guy and Linda had all summer to get over the disgustingly happy phase. They all will be. Charlie and Julie won't be so bad though. They're always cutesy in private. It's nice."

"Yeah, it is." Dean agreed.

"I think it's sweet they've been dating since they were thirteen. Not a lot of couples can say that. Connie and Guy for one."

"It won't last." Dean said. "They've been together too long, plus, last year was hell for them."

She looked at him, puzzled. "How did you know?"

"Fulton called me. Told me how everyone was going to hell and how much the Ducks needed me."

"And that's why you came back, helping them crush Varsity in the process."

"Yeah. Plus, I missed....the Ducks."

"Anyone in particular?"

Julie flashed briefly in his mind. "All of them."

They entered the diner, seeing the rest of the team mingling. Connie waved Tammy over and, with a parting wave to Dean, she walked around her teammates towards the small brunette. Dean glanced around, smiling at he spotted Julie alone by the counter. He walked over.

"Hey." he said, tugging on her pony tail.

She mock-glared at him, sticking out her tongue in the process. He sat down on the stool next to her with a grin. "Come on, Jules, don't be like that."

"Don't pull on my hair like an immature kid." she countered back.

He just smirked at her and she rolled her eyes, but grinned. "I'm glad you're here, Dean. Last year's pre-party sucked without you."

"Yeah. I hated being away from the Ducks. Especially you."

His remark caused Julie to blush softly. "Why me?"

He shrugged. "Other than Fulton, I'd say you're my best friend. It sucked not being around you."

"It's your own fault, you know."

"I know. I thought I had a good reason to stay away but, as it turns out, it wasn't worth it."

"Bombay leaving did suck. I kind of wish I'd followed your example and refused to come out of protest. But, then, I wouldn't have been able to spend the last year with Charlie."

"Right. Spazway. The perfect boyfriend." Dean rolled his eyes. "From what I heard, things sucked for you two last year."

She frowned. "At first, yeah. But, we made up and things were great from then on."

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Charlie walking towards them. Knowing this would lead to some sort of cute moment he'd rather barf than see, he stood up. "I'll catch you later, Jules."

She watched him go with furrowed eye brows, wondering why he was acting so weird. Then, two strong arms wrapped around her and she smiled as she felt lips upon her neck.

"Hey, Charlie."

He chuckled and sat down on the stool Dean had just left. "How did you know it was me?"

"I must be psychic. I mean, forget the fact that all the guys here know if they tried something on me, you'd kick their ass. I just knew."

He leaned over the kissed her. "Are you ready for the school year?"

"Duh. As you stated before, this is gonna be our year, Charlie. And, I can't wait to spend it with you."

* * *

Dean watched as they leaned in for another kiss and felt the anger boiling up inside of him. Why did they have to flaunt their happiness? Why did they have to rub his face in it.

"Hey." Tammy slid into the booth across from him. "Why are you back here all alone?"

He pulled his mind away from the happy couple. "Guess I'm just an antisocial person."

"No you're not." Tammy said.

"Uh, yeah. I'm, how did you put it, back here all alone. I'm antisocial."

"That's not what antisocial means. Antisocial means disregarding the rules of society. Being selfish and irresponsible, having no conscience and no guilt. Manipulating people, being good liars, showing fake emotion. Impulsive. You're not antisocial."

He blinked, staring at her. "How did you know that?"

"I took Psychology while I was on the road skating. My tutor offered it. It was quite entertaining."

Dean laughed. "You're such a brain."

"Me? Nah. I'm good at subjects that have no meaning in the real world. Psychology, Sociology, Art. The important things, like math and science, I'm really bad at those."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Duncan."

She grinned at the small compliment. "Yeah, I do. I'm a kick ass skater. It's my true passion in life."

"Other than Fulton, of course?"

She kicked him underneath the table and he laughed. "You're so easy to annoy."

"You're being mean. I'm going to go spend my time with people who are nice."

He watched as she stood up and walked away, head held high and arms crossed. But, then she turned to throw him a soft smile that had him grinning. Tammy Duncan was something else.

* * *

Adam and Connie walked back to the dorms hand-in-hand. She was smiling brightly and he kept glancing at her.

"What's making you so happy?"

She shrugged, still smiling. "Just us, I guess. This time last year, I was sure you and I were only going to stay friends. Now look at us."

He grinned. "Yeah, we've come a long way. Last year sucked, though. Other than us, of course."

She nodded in understanding. "You're going to be a Duck this year, Banksie. If Varsity tries to take you, we'll throw the biggest fight to keep you."

That elicited a chuckle from him as he pulled her close and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Cons."

She smiled beautifully at him. "Anytime, Banskie."

* * *

Guy and Linda lay on his bed, making out. Charlie hadn't gotten back yet so they were alone, much to Guy's pleasure. Things with him and Linda had been progressing really well. They'd spent the summer, really getting to know each other. She was a total rights-activists, ready to stand up for any good cause. And, given the intensity of his feelings for her, Guy would most likely be standing right there with her.

She pulled away, running her hands through his blonde hair. "This this nice."

"I can always convince Charlie to crash at home." he said, trying to sound suggestive.

Linda smiled. "No, that's fine. I should go anyway."

She stood and straightened out her clothes, leaving a disappointed Guy on the bed. Then, as she headed to the door, he stood up and followed her, kissing her softly before he left.

"I'll see you tomorrow." she whispered.

"Tomorrow." he smiled softly.

They kissed once more before she slipped out the door.

* * *

Charlie walked Julie to her dorm room, grinning at she wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed for a few moments until the small thoughts nagging at Charlie's mind needed to be voiced.

"So, what were you and Portman talking about?"

"Hmm?" she asked, too distracted by the nearness of his body to answer.

He stepped away from her, running a hand through his curly hair. "What were you and Portman talking about?"

Her eyes narrowed at his tone. "Just stuff. Nothing important. Why?"

"Just curious." he said.

"Dean's just a friend. Why are you so worried about our conversations?"

"I'm not." he said, but she could tell he was lying by the way he avoided her eyes and looked down at the floor.

She stepped closer to him, placing her hands on his chest. "He's just a friend, Spazway."

After a moment of looking at her, he smiled. "I know. Sorry, doing the stupid boyfriend thing."

"Very stupid." she smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They kissed goodnight and he waited until she was in her room before heading toward his own.

Julie sat on her bed, wondering what was with Charlie's sudden anger towards their teammate. Back at the Goodwill Games, Charlie had gotten along pretty well with Portman, after the whole welcoming period, of course. Nothing had changed. Dean was still her friend. They were closer than before, but still, just friends. Charlie was just being paranoid, she finally decided.

She changed into her pajama's quietly, not wanting to wake Connie and crawled into bed. Her lasts thoughts before drifting into sleep were of the excitement and fun that lay ahead this year.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

AN- Hey guys. I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and that you enjoy this one as well.

* * *

Julie Gaffney walked across the quad, smiling brightly and waving to a few people she knew from her classes. Her boyfriend, Charlie Conway, groaned from where he was walking next to her.

"How can you be so cheerful in the morning?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'm just in a good mood."

"You are one of the few people I know who actually likes going to school." he teased.

"I only like it because you're here."

That caused a grin to spread on Charlie's face as they walked over to where their teammates were waiting for the bell to ring.

"Morning." Charlie called. A few of them grumbled in response. He glanced around. Connie was asleep, leaning up against Adam, who looked ready to keel over himself. Linda was looking as perky as Julie while a misty-eyed Guy sat next to her on the steps. Tammy also seemed wide awake, as did Dean. They were huddled in their own little group, laughing occasionally. He felt movement and looked to see Julie walking over to them.

"Hey, guys."

Tammy looked over and smiled. "Hey Julie. What's up?"

Julie shrugged. "What's so funny."

"Tammy's invented a game where we make fun of the prepsters who walk by." Dean explained. "It's quite entertaining."

"And a little mean, don'tcha think?" Julie asked with a frown.

Dean shrugged. "Not like they're saying anything nice about us."

The bell rang then and the Ducks slowly began to gather their bags and head inside. Adam shook Connie lightly and she yawned and stretched before taking her bag from him. Charlie glanced over at Julie, who was about to head back to him when Dean threw an arm around her shoulders and lead her inside.

"Okay, Cat. If you think that game sucks, think of a new one."

"It's called hockey. It's the reason we're here."

"Psh, we need something to do when we're not on the ice. A way to pass the time during these boring morning."

Julie crossed her arms over her chest. "You're such a child, demanding games."

He grinned. "Yep. I'm as immature as they come."

"That I can believe." she teased.

He laughed. "So, where you headed?"

"Homeroom." she craned her head behind her, searching for the familiar curly hair. "But, it seems I've lost Charlie. I should pull over."

She was surprised when Dean gently took her arm and guided her to the side of the hall. As she glanced up at him, he grinned in response and she felt herself smiling back.

"I should head to my class. I'll catch ya later, Cat."

She waved at his retreating form, then continued to scope the hall for Charlie. As she looked, two girls from her math class the previous year walked up to her.

"Hey Julie."

Julie smiled at them, not remembering their names at all. "Hey."

"So, good to see you traded up from Conway. The new guy is supremely yummy." one of them said.

Julie tore her eyes away from the hall. "What? Traded up?"

"Yeah. Sure, Charlie is cute, like adorably cute. But, that new guy is gorgeous."

"That's Dean. My friend. Charlie is still my boyfriend." Julie finally spotted Charlie in the crowd. Before she headed over to him, she turned to the girls. "And Charlie is much more than cute. He's totally sexy."

She left them speechless behind her as she threw her arms around Charlie's neck. "Hey."

He smiled. "Hey."

Julie leaned in for a kiss and felt him peck her lips. Then, he was gently untangling himself from her. She blinked. "Charlie?"

"I have to head to homeroom. Don't want to be late."

She caught his arm. "You okay?"

He smirked. "I'm fine. How about you, are you okay?"

"I was until right now. What's with you?"

"Nothing. Later."

She watched him walk away with a frown.

* * *

Connie and Tammy entered the classroom, talking.

"I'm just saying, Tammy, you should really think about moving on. Fulton's a great guy and everything, but-"

"You think I'm wasting my time." Tammy finished.

"Well, yeah. Find someone who drools all over you. Like...Dean."

"Dean and I are just friends. Really cool friends. There might have been a moment, when he first got here, that I thought he was would be the remedy to my Fulton obsession."

"And now you've decided to continue on that path."

Tammy laughed. "Something like that. Maybe one day he'll notice me."

Connie was about to argue when she saw Fulton walk into their classroom. He glanced around the room, spotted the duo, and walked over.

"Hey guys." he said, sinking into the seat in front of Tammy.

"Hey Fult." Tammy greeted with a winning smile. Connie hid an eye-roll. "What's up?"

"Nothing really. Tomorrow is my mom's birthday, I gotta go get her a gift."

"You waited until the day before? Fulton Reed." Connie said sternly, shaking her head.

He grinned at her. Tammy tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and smiled. "What do you plan on getting her?"

Fulton shrugged. "I hate shopping for my mom. It's time like these I wished I had a sister to help me."

"You know, I hate to brag, but I am an excellent shopper. I could help you out, if you wanted."

"That would be awesome, Tammy. Thanks."

She smiled brightly. "No prob."

* * *

"I hate my life."

Guy grinned, wrapping an arm around Linda. "Why?"

"Let's see. I'm a junior. My parents have decided I buckle down this year so my grades look perfect for colleges. I have ACTs. I have a class for the ACTs. I have to start getting college ideas now. Plus, I'm starting Pre-Calculus. And, I'm one of the few Juniors in an AP class."

He blinked. "Wow. That does sound bad."

"Enjoy sophomore year. It sucks afterwards."

He chuckled and kissed her temple. "I'm always available for a de-stressing. Anytime."

She grinned at him. "Is that a make-out offer?"

"What else would it be."

She smiled, then noticed her classroom. She pulled him over and kissed him softly. "I'm off to more of my doom."

"Have fun."

* * *

Adam closed his locker, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. He was tired. He felt someone in front of him, then, soft lips pressed against his. He opened his eyes and smiled as his arms snaked around her waist.

"Hello to you too."

Connie giggled, pressing her forehead against his. "And how are you this morning, Banksie?"

"I'm good. I haven't seen you all day, though."

"I've had a busy morning. I've gone to class, kept most of the Ducks from falling asleep and tried to convince Tammy to get over her crush on Fulton."

"Were you successful?" he asked.

She laced their fingers together as they walked down the hall. "Nope."

"Hello, love birds."

Connie grinned as Charlie joined them, casually bumping into Connie on purpose. She grinned and dropped Adam's hand, pushing Charlie. He, in turn, wrapped an arm around her waist and picked her up.

"Spazway! Put me down." she said, in between her laughter.

Charlie did, flicking her ear for good measure and nodding to Adam. He then sped up on the way to the lunchroom. Connie turned to Adam with a small pout.

"Why didn't you do anything?"

He grinned. "You had it under control, Cons." She was still pouting. "I'll help you figure out a way to get him back." This caused her to smile as she pecked his cheek.

* * *

Charlie entered the lunchroom and took the familiar steps towards the Ducks' table. He heard Julie's laughter and looked up, the grin falling off his face as she saw who was making her laugh.

"Hey." he greeted, sitting down next to her.

She turned her head towards him with a tentative smile. "Hey."

He leaned forward and kissed her, hearing the groans of his fellow teammates.

"We're eating, Charlie!" wailed Goldberg.

"Goldie, nothing will stop you from eating. Not even a Charlie/Julie make-out session." observed Averman.

"So, who's up for goofing off after school?" Dean asked.

"Goofing off? You know, Portman, some of us have college and homework and grades to worry about. Sure! We'd all love to goof off! To make a joke out of a day! To not worry about the important things. But you can't. Because this is life!"

The table was silent after Linda's rant. Portman looked too scared to open his mouth again. Linda sighed and rubbed her temple. "I need food."

Once she was a safe distance away, Charlie spoke. "So, Linda's going nuts. How's everyone else?"

There were a few chuckles.

"She's stressed. Her schedule is major this year. I don't know how she's gonna fit everything in. Or me." Guy said.

"It's always about you, isn't it, Germaine?" Connie asked, sitting down next to him, Adam right next to her.

While the two began teasing good naturally, Dean turned to Julie. "So, what are your plans after school?"

Before Julie could answer, Charlie spoke. "Movie marathon at my place. Just the two of us."

His tone was neutral, however the arm he wrapped around her shoulders was anything but. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Dean with an apologetic smile. "Exactly what Charlie said. How about you?"

"Eh. I might ask Tammy to do something."

"She's other wise engaged." Connie said, turning away from Guy. "She's helping Fulton pick out a gift for his mom."

"So that's what they're calling it nowadays." Averman grinned.

No one laughed.

* * *

It was after school and Tammy and Fulton were on their way to the mall.

"So, what exactly does your mother love?"

Fulton thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"Okay. Does she have a hobby?"

Another shrug. Tammy pursed her lips.

"Does she have a favorite color? Animal? Beverage?"

Again, a shrug.

"Did she birth you or are you just some type of experiment sent to Earth?"

"Look, I'm sorry, I just don't know. My mom and I aren't all that close."

"You could have explained this beforehand. I feel trapped." Tammy muttered.

He grinned. "Well, I knew you wouldn't come with me if I had no clue what I was doing."

Tammy hid a smile of her own. "Rack the brain for an idea."

"Well...I'm pretty sure she loves the color red, considering everything appliance in our kitchen is red."

"There you go. An idea! Let's just....find something red."

They looked at each other, before bursting into laughter.

"This is going to be fun." Tammy said.

* * *

Julie sat on the couch in the Conway living room as Charlie looked through their movie collection.

"So, do you feel like a feel-good romantic comedy or an action-packed, many explosives kind of movie?"

"Whatever you feel like."

After choosing a movie, he settled on the couch next to her.

"What was that earlier? At lunch?"

"What was what?"

"When Dean asked what we were doing. You got all territorial. What was that all about."

"I wasn't territorial. I was merely explaining our plans for the evening."

She sighed and stood up. "I'm gonna go."

"What? Why?" he asked, standing up as well.

She placed one hand on the wall to balance herself as she slipped her feet inside her shoes. "Because, you're being annoying and I don't feel like dealing with it."

"Jules-"

"No. You're doing that annoying boyfriend thing where you overreact every time I try to hang out with my guy friends."

She walked over and pecked him on the lips. "I'll see you later, Charlie."

He winced as the door slammed behind her and groaned loudly. He fell upon the couch, burying his face in the material.

"Trouble in paradise?"

He glanced up as his step-father entered the room. "Hey, Scott."

"What's wrong, Champ? I thought today was the movie marathon." Scott asked. He sat down in the armchair to the right of the couch.

"Julie's mad at me." Charlie, sitting up.

"Care to explain?"

"I don't mind her having guy friends, I really don't. She can hang out with Adam and Fulton or any of the Ducks whenever she wants. Except Portman."

"And why is that?"

"She can't see it. They were friends. They emailed all the time, and I didn't care. Until he came here and.....he wants her. I can tell, he wants to be with her."

"And you don't want them hanging out together, because you're afraid she'll want to be with him."

Charlie nodded.

"Kiddo, Julie is crazy about you. I highly doubt her friendship with Dean would change that."

"She can't see how he feels about her. How can you, or anyone else, be so sure she doesn't have the same feelings? Just not realizing it."

* * *

Julie entered the dorm rooms and took the stairs two at the time, determined to get to her room so she could fume in peace. She got inside and flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, wishing she were back with Charlie. There was a knock on her door and she got up to answer it. Dean grinned, leaning against the doorway.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Good to see you too. Are you busy and or bored?"

"I'm not in the mood to do anything right now, Dean."

She turned away from him and walked over to her bed, flopping down once more. He entered the room, closing the door behind her and sat down on Connie's bed.

"What's up?"

"Charlie's being pain."

"What else is new?" he muttered.

She picked her head up to glare at him. "Hey, I'm the only one allowed to make comments about my boyfriend. Back off."

He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry. Come on, don't mope around all day over Conway. Let's go do something. Let's go to the mall."

She sat up. "Do you need a girl's opinion on a new dress?"

He grinned. "There's the smart-ass Julie I know. Let Charlie stew in it for a while."

"I don't know."

He stood up and offered his hand out. "Julie Gaffney, get your ass off that bed and come with me."

Julie rolled her eyes, unable to not grin. "You're such a charmer."

"Is that a yes?"

She swatted his hand away and stood up. "Let's go."

* * *

"That was fun."

Tammy grinned at Fulton as they walked the familar streets to her home. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I just hope my mom will love her gift."

"Please, what mother doesn't want a red toaster to complete their red-themed kitchen appliances?"

"True."

They both chuckled as they arrived outside her home.

"Thanks Tammy. You helped me big time today."

She smiled at him. "No sweat."

He gave her a small hug and grinned at her, before heading towards his own home. Her smile was wide as she went inside.

* * *

Charlie lay sprawled out on his bed, throwing an old baseball up in the air and catching it.

"Champ." There was a knock on the door. "Dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry."

Scott poked his head in. "Come on, Charlie. You guys had a fight, it's not the end of the world."

"It wasn't even a fight! She was mad at me, and then she left."

"Well, then call and apologize."

He sat up, throwing his arms akimbo. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Time for a life lession that will surely help you in years to come. She's always right, and you're always sorry." Scott advised.

"But what if-"

"Doesn't matter."

"Even though-"

"Nope."

"But-"

"It. Doesn't. Matter."

Charlie sighed. "Fine. I'll call and apologize."

"Good plan. Then, come eat."

Charlie reached for the phone as Scott left and dialed the number to Julie's room. He waited as it rang.

"Hi, it's Julie."

"Jules, hey. I-"

"I'm not here right now, so please leave a message. Oh, if you're calling for Connie, also leave a message. She's too busy being with Adam to answer."

He waited for the beep.

"Hey, Jules, it's me. I'm just calling to say sorry for earlier. Call me when you get this. Love ya."

He hung up and ran a hand through his hair. He'd done his part. He'd apologized. He stood up and left the room, the thought nagging at him the entire walk to the kitchen.

Where was she?

* * *

AN- Sorry it took so long to get this out, guys. I'll try to update again soon!


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